I am no fan of piracy myself but morals are subjective. For example, in certain parts of the world one thing is acceptable in US society while taboo in Chinese society. Every religion has their own moral codes as well. So, yes, morals are subjective and vary from person to person. My opinion of piracy is that the downloader himself isn't the one stealing but the person uploading the content. Say Robin Hood stole from the rich and gave to the poor, was the poor guilty of stealing or was it Robin Hood? I say Robin Hood. By that logic, the person downloading the content was not the one stealing.

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The problem with piracy is that there really is no control for artists that don't want their music freely shared. The vast majority of bands, especially underground or independent bands, that I've talked to or spoken with don't care at all if they have their music downloaded. That however doesn't play fair to those that don't want their music available freely. With no logical means of controlling product, in my opinion, I say the whole argument about whether piracy is beneficial or not is moot - it's a matter of product ownership. If a band or a label owns product they should have a right to say whether that product is available for free, not those that don't want to buy it.

I don't see why someone wouldn't want their product available for free to some level of access, particularly for promotional purposes. A band's best hope these days is that something that is floating around on the internet becomes viral or trendy in the eyes of their audience.

As someone who runs a label, I post promotional videos on youtube of my releases but not full albums. That's my way of controlling the product I release. That said, I have no problem with bands uploading music for free should they see fit because I've always been under the belief that art in any form is always the possession of it's creator and not those that aid those artists in a logistical sense.

Damn. I wish I could have been listening to metal back in 2004. It's certainly a privilege for people who figure out about it early. I was probably late 15 years of age when I first started listening to it. For like a year I didn't even know what pirating was, let alone mayhem or deicide! I think I really started buying things online when I started listening to more music through mediafire. As for when before I only had youtube and people's channels who uploaded stuff and related videos.

I gotta say, I really like your Bandcamp Roundup. It's a great idea considering the fact that so many bands on bandcamp get little attention and are generally viewed as far-less-than-serious. It gives a little bit of respect to bands working hard and getting little attention.

Also, fascinating that you posted Ron Paul's farewell address. I think that's really courageous because of spectrum of opinions on the guy out there. I, for one, agree with you that he was one of the few respectable and sincere congressmen out there.

I gotta say, I really like your Bandcamp Roundup. It's a great idea considering the fact that so many bands on bandcamp get little attention and are generally viewed as far-less-than-serious. It gives a little bit of respect to bands working hard and getting little attention.

Also, fascinating that you posted Ron Paul's farewell address. I think that's really courageous because of spectrum of opinions on the guy out there. I, for one, agree with you that he was one of the few respectable and sincere congressmen out there.

Thanks, man! I feel it is my duty to save great bands from the curse of obscurity.

Can't believe the flak you got for Dl'ing, and I burst out laughing when they tried to throw in the "religious moral" side of things.

Anyway, I sure like your reviews, keep 'em coming.

Hey! What's up?

Yeah, I definitely got a lot shit thrown at me by the Metal Archives members simply because I can't afford to buy physical music. Anyway, I listened to your demo, and it's pretty good for a first attempt. It's a lot better than most shoegaze black metal I hear. I intend to review it, but I've been pretty busy lately.